Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper Narayan Jagadeesan has been handed a maiden Test call-up as he replaces the injured Rishabh Pant in India’s squad for the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval, beginning Thursday.
Pant, who fractured his right foot while batting in the first innings of the recently concluded Old Trafford Test, has been ruled out of the final match of the series. The 29-year-old Jagadeesan is expected to arrive in London by Tuesday, having secured his visa early on Sunday. He will serve as back-up to Dhruv Jurel, who kept wickets in the third and fourth Tests in Pant’s absence. Pant had also missed the third Test due to a finger injury.
Jagadeesan has long been on the fringes of the India A setup and has built a consistent domestic record. He topped the run charts for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy for two successive seasons, scoring 816 runs in 13 innings at an average of 74.18 in 2023-24, followed by 674 runs at 56.16 in 2024-25.
While he missed out on selection for India A’s shadow tour to England, Jagadeesan has remained in the mix as part of the BCCI’s targeted group of players through its centre of excellence programme. Known for his adaptability, he has played in various batting positions and has built a strong first-class record since debuting in 2016.
In 79 innings, Jagadeesan has amassed 3373 runs at an average of 47.50, including ten centuries and 14 fifties. His career-best 321 came against Chandigarh in January this year.
He was last seen in action for Chepauk Super Gillies in the Tamil Nadu Premier League earlier this month, where he smashed 81 off 41 balls in his most recent T20 outing on 4 July. This will mark his second tour of the UK, having previously captained a Tamil Nadu Colts side on an earlier visit.
His inclusion gives India another reliable option behind the stumps as they look to close out a tightly contested series at The Oval.